{{Bible-verse|12|Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:}} {{Bible-verse|13|But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:}}

{{Bible-verse|12|Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:}} {{Bible-verse|13|But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:}}

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== Explanation ==

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* This commandment introduces God as the god that frees people in contrast to the gods of Egypt which enslave. It sets freedom as the "theme" for the following commandments. It forbids the creation of other gods which would only be used to legitimate the power of their priests and thus enslave the people again.

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==Counter-apologetics==

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* What other gods? We are constantly told that there is one god and this god is clearly telling us to not accept any other gods, at least not before him.

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==Counter-Apologetics==

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* What other gods? We are constantly told that there is one god and this god is clearly telling us to not accept any other gods, at least not before him. “I am your Lord thy God, thou shall not have any other Gods before me.” Notice it says ‘before me’ does that imply that other gods do indeed exist? What about any gods after him? This was spoken by Elohim (ironically, a plural name for the god El), who is the “Lord” of the Israelites.

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** The commandment may be referring to man-made idols such as the golden calf made by the Israelites in Exodus 32:4 (ironically it was because of the absence of Moses who was on Mount Sinai allegedly receiving the Ten Commandments that the Israelites made the idol in the first place). It may also be referring to the gods of other cultures, such as Baal.

* In Exodus, God also ''hardened the heart'' of the pharaoh on several occasions prolonging their 'house of bondage' and having them chased unnecessarily.

* In Exodus, God also ''hardened the heart'' of the pharaoh on several occasions prolonging their 'house of bondage' and having them chased unnecessarily.

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==In United States law==

==In United States law==

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*The 1st commandment is not a part of U.S. law or customs. Laws in the U.S. specifically state that any such requirement cannot be made into law.

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*The 1st commandment is not a part of U.S. law or customs. The [[First Amendment]] to the U.S. Constitution specifically states that any such requirement cannot be made into law. In the U.S., people are free to worship any god or no god.

12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:

Counter-Apologetics

What other gods? We are constantly told that there is one god and this god is clearly telling us to not accept any other gods, at least not before him. “I am your Lord thy God, thou shall not have any other Gods before me.” Notice it says ‘before me’ does that imply that other gods do indeed exist? What about any gods after him? This was spoken by Elohim (ironically, a plural name for the god El), who is the “Lord” of the Israelites.

The commandment may be referring to man-made idols such as the golden calf made by the Israelites in Exodus 32:4 (ironically it was because of the absence of Moses who was on Mount Sinai allegedly receiving the Ten Commandments that the Israelites made the idol in the first place). It may also be referring to the gods of other cultures, such as Baal.

In Exodus, God also hardened the heart of the pharaoh on several occasions prolonging their 'house of bondage' and having them chased unnecessarily.

In United States law

The 1st commandment is not a part of U.S. law or customs. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution specifically states that any such requirement cannot be made into law. In the U.S., people are free to worship any god or no god.